Happy 8 Months!

Ok, so I know I sound like a broken record here, but WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE???  It's amazing to think that I gave birth to our beautiful baby boy 8 months ago today.  Looking back, I can easily remember being a frazzled new mommy, just trying to figure it all out.  And these days, I'm feeling much more confident! I have learned so much about Colin - what he likes and what he doesn't; how to calm and reassure him; and how to prepare him for new things.  His little personality seems to have exploded this month, and he's had a lot of new experiences!

We just got back from a visit with family in St. Pete, and Colin did awesome on his first plane ride!  I was feeling a little anxious about making the trip without Marshall, but it was actually pretty easy.  Colin loved being wheeled through the airport in his stroller, flirting with the flight attendants, and seeing Nani and Pop Pop when we arrived in Tampa...they even had a sign with his name, ready to chauffeur him to their place at the beach!  Although we had a few days of rain during our visit, Colin was still able to swim in the pool, put his feet in the sand, and splash in the Gulf for the very first time.  We also had several visitors during our stay.  Colin got to meet Ashleigh, Marion and her son Jacob, Bob and Sue, Lari, Katie and George.  He also had fun spending time with his Aunt Adrienne and cousin Evyn, Uncle Drew and Aunt Rachel, and of course, Nani and Pop Pop (Colin thinks that Nani is the funniest person ever!).  It was a wonderful trip, but we're already missing everyone!

Marshall was sure that Colin would start crawling while we were in Florida, and he is getting pretty close!  This month, he learned how to roll over onto his tummy, and has been doing some serious scooting ever since.  He wants to crawl so bad, and I bet by this time next month he will have figured it out.  Time to baby-proof the heck out of this place!  Colin also got his 2nd tooth, right next to the other one on the bottom (so now his smile is much more symmetrical!).  He's officially sleeping through the night now...about 12 hours in a row!  It's simply blissful having our sleep back!  Colin even sleeps like a champ in the pack n' play when we're away from home.  He is now eating 3 solid meals a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and loves just about everything he's had.  He's trying more finger foods too...soft pieces of fruits and veggies, toast sticks, yogurt melts, and even pasta!  He loves exploring the new tastes and textures, and is very motivated to feed himself.  He's also learning to drink from a sippy cup, and seems quite proud of himself...such a big boy!

Whenever we're out, people always comment on what an alert and happy baby he is...and it's so true!  Colin loves to laugh, be silly, play patty-cake, and he also imitates sounds and movements.  He shakes his head "no" from side to side, and still tries to get our attention by coughing and screeching...it's really quite amusing!  We can't wait to see what next month will bring!

Mommy's Mountain Man

In the last few weeks, we've spent a lot of time visiting Grandpa Lee and Grandma Mary up in the mountains...and I think Colin loves it there as much as we do!  Colin and I stayed for another week in July while Marshall was traveling for business, and we went back up this past weekend to visit with Drew while he was in town.  Unfortunately, the weather was not the best, but we made the most of it and got outside every chance we could when the sun came out.  We had a picnic dinner at Banner Elk Park, and Colin even got to put his little feet in the stream and play on some of the "big kid" playground equipment.  We also did some shopping at the outlet mall on one of the rainy afternoons.  Colin loved being pushed around in his cozy stroller that Grandma and Grandpa got for him, and just smiled away at all the other shoppers.  He even got licked in the face by a service dog, and tried his first taste of an ice cream cone!  My favorite day was spent blueberry picking in the morning (just before getting caught in a downpour!), and splashing in Wild Cat Lake in the afternoon.  During Drew's visit, we also let Colin take a dip in the hot tub and fed the ducks on our walk around Bass Lake.  Grandma and Grandpa have gone all out to give Colin every comfort of home while he's visiting them in the mountains.  He's got a pack n' play, a swing, stroller, activity mat, bath seat, and car seat...but his favorite new toy is a walk-around activity table.  We were amazed how quickly he figured out how to get around to each area, and how each toy worked!  I think it'll even help him as he learns to walk...he just scoots all around with ease!  We've all had so much fun during our visits to the mountain house, and we can't wait for our beach trip to the Outer Banks in September.  But stay tuned...our next big adventure will be our trip to Florida to visit Nani and Pop Pop (and Adrienne, Evyn, Rachel, and Drew) next week!  Look out, St. Pete...HERE WE COME!!!

Here are some of my favorite photos from our latest trips to the mountains.

And here's a cute video of Colin in his activity center.  Dad and Mary's dog, Sebastian, loves to play...and Colin seemed to find this to be quite hilarious :)